Teen could spend decades in prison for police chase

Published: Monday, May 6, 2013 at 05:39 PM.

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A teenager who led officers on a high-speed chase through three counties could face decades behind bars.

Dakota Lane Sweat was sentenced in Gaston County Superior Court on Monday to 17 to 21 years in prison. He was behind the wheel of a stolen car on the night of Nov. 1. His friend, Brandon Jeffery Bridges, sat in the passenger seat.

The Little River, S.C., teens were riding through Stanley when an officer attempted to pull them over.

Sweat refused to stop, and officers gave chase.

According to Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell, Bridges began firing a shotgun from the passenger window, hitting officers’ cars.

He also shot through the window of an oncoming car in an attempt to divert police, Bell said.

And in a ploy to stop the chase, Sweat tried to force other drivers off the road. He successfully ran one man in a truck off the road.

A teenager who led officers on a high-speed chase through three counties could face decades behind bars.

Dakota Lane Sweat was sentenced in Gaston County Superior Court on Monday to 17 to 21 years in prison. He was behind the wheel of a stolen car on the night of Nov. 1. His friend, Brandon Jeffery Bridges, sat in the passenger seat.

The Little River, S.C., teens were riding through Stanley when an officer attempted to pull them over.

Sweat refused to stop, and officers gave chase.

According to Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell, Bridges began firing a shotgun from the passenger window, hitting officers’ cars.

He also shot through the window of an oncoming car in an attempt to divert police, Bell said.

And in a ploy to stop the chase, Sweat tried to force other drivers off the road. He successfully ran one man in a truck off the road.

The chase began around 10 p.m. in Stanley and ended when Sweat crashed the vehicle in Catawba County.

Sweat and Bridges ran from the car and hid behind an outbuilding, where they were arrested.

According to Bell, the men used a shotgun and a 9 mm handgun to fire at officers.

Sweat’s attorney, Gus Anthony, argued that Bridges was the only one firing a weapon that night.

Anthony said all the evidence points to Bridges as the sole shooter.

Who fired the weapons is a moot point, according to Bell, who said the men acted together the night of the chase.

Sweat was initially charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of fleeing to elude arrest, assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, discharging a weapon into an occupied vehicle and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

As part of a plea arrangement, the attempted murder charges were consolidated to one.

Bridges, who faces similar charges, is scheduled to appear in court later this week. He faces additional charges out of Brunswick County for a case involving a home invasion and the bludgeoning of a man with a shotgun, Bell said.

The men were previously assigned attorneys in Gaston, Catawba and Lincoln counties because the chase spanned the three counties.

District attorneys worked with Bell to shuffle everything to one place — the Gaston County Courthouse.

According to Anthony, Sweat and Bridges had been friends for a short amount of time.

Sweat’s family is distraught about the time the 18-year-old will spend in prison, but Anthony said they understand the severity of what he did and what could have happened.

“He’s just a young man who got talked into something bad that night,” said Anthony.

You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.